Sports

Words of Wisdom from the Class of 2025

As senior year comes to a close, members of the Class of 2025 are reflecting on what they’ve learned—both inside and outside the classroom. From time management tips to lessons in friendship and confidence, their advice offers a glimpse into the highs and lows that defined their high school experiences. Linda Gabele: Be Open and […]

Published

1 month ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Linda Gabele: Be Open and Reach Out

“Be open to meeting new people and try to connect with them as well,” Gabele said.

Gabele also encourages students to step outside their comfort zones. “Stay locked in and make friends with people you normally wouldn’t be with,” she said. “It’s easy to stick with familiar faces, but some of the most meaningful friendships come from unexpected places.”

Casey Watkins: Try, Connect, and Slow Down

For Watkins, high school has been centered around connection, effort, and reflection. One of his most meaningful experiences has come from being on a team. “Being part of a sports community like water polo is a sense of brotherhood, and it’s so awesome,” he said.

He also encourages others to take initiative socially. “You should never be shy. You can’t go out and make friends without trying,” Watkins added. “Definitely try to make the best out of every difficult situation, and don’t forget to slow down and enjoy the time.”

Kasra Motamedi: It’s Okay, Just Keep Going

Senior Kasra Motamedi has learned a lot—sometimes the hard way. “Talk to your teachers when something is wrong. Teachers want you to succeed and they don’t want you to fail,” he said.

Motamedi also regrets waiting too long to finish assignments. “I wish I didn’t procrastinate as much,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had so much stress and I’d be able to have more fun.”

For Motamedi, keeping perspective is key. “It will be alright in the end—what college you go to, your friends, and everything else,” he said.

Don’t care too much about what people think. I used to think too much about what others thought, and it would ruin my mood. I’d even change how I act in front of others,” Motamedi shared.

Juliana Gamez-Diaz: Don’t Hold Back, and Study Hard

To Gamez-Diaz, social advice is just as important as academic tips. “Don’t be scared to talk to new people and to do things that are embarrassing,” she said. “If you’re too scared to be embarrassed, you can hold back on a lot of things.”

When it comes to academics—especially in a big school—her biggest takeaway is the value of focused studying. “Focusing a lot on doing deep studying is better because multi-tasking is just a waste of time,” she explained. “If you’re so distracted, it takes like hours to do things, but like, if you’re in deep focus, you can get it done in, like a small amount of time. Short forms of content and, like, TikTok, it’s like, it’s like your attention span decreases.”

Lainey Egnal: Stay Organized

If there’s anyone who figured out how to manage senior year wisely, its Lainey Egnal. As a Dance Team captain juggling college applications and a social life, Egnal found that planning ahead made all the difference. “Do as much as you can as a junior and the summer before senior year,” she said.

“You have UCPIQS (personal insight questions) and the Common App questions summer before senior year. If you get those done, by the time you get to first semester senior year, all you have left is supplementals,” she explained. “It will make your life ten times easier.”

“Don’t stress too much about doing something all the time, usually you are doing exactly what you need to be doing,” Egnal concluded.

Phoebe Matin: Live while you can

Matin encourages underclassman not to waste their time worrying about the wrong things. “Don’t care what other people think,” she said. “Do what you can to have a good time and live—these years go by so quickly.”

Her favorite memories were not made in the classroom, but rather outside with friends. “Go out on the Green and play spikeball with your friends,” she said. “The small, joyful moments stick the most.”

Alessandro Delfin Novoa: Work Hard and Enjoy

Alessandro Delfin Novoa has one big tip for balancing academics and fun: plan ahead. “Take all of your hard classes your junior year,” he said. “Taking hard classes junior year means you can enjoy your senior year.”

For Novoa, authenticity remains crucial in high school. “Just stay true to yourself. High school goes by a lot faster than you think, and I feel like every moment you have to make the most of it,” he said.

His biggest piece of advice? Embrace failure. “Don’t be afraid to fail. I feel like part of my high school journey was definitely shaped by my downs,” he said.

Link

Sports

SSU Volleyball Adds Eight New Players

Ny’Kira Raby Savannah State University head volleyball coach Roselidah Obunaga has announced the additions of eight new players for the Lady Tigers volleyball team for the 2025 season. Ny’Kira Raby (5’3”) is a freshman defensive specialist and will remain a Tiger, having played at Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia. She finished her high school career […]

Published

1 minute ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Savannah State University head volleyball coach Roselidah Obunaga has announced the additions of eight new players for the Lady Tigers volleyball team for the 2025 season.

Ny’Kira Raby (5’3”) is a freshman defensive specialist and will remain a Tiger, having played at Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, Georgia. She finished her high school career with 1,000 career digs.

Nyalah Smith (6’1”) is a freshman middle hitter/outside hitter from Evans, Georgia where she attended Lakeside High School. At Lakeside, Smith helped her team to two region titles while earning first team all-region honors during her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she played in 105 sets and finished the year with 230 kills, 70 blocks, 18 digs, nine assists and two aces.

Aniyah Parks (5’10”) is a freshman setter/opposite hitter from Jonesboro, Georgia where she played at Jonesboro High School. Parks earned all-region honors as a junior and senior and ended the 2024 season with 66 digs, 62 kills, 28 aces, 17 assists and 14 blocks.

Mya McCall (5’5”) is a freshman defensive specialist from Atlanta, Georgia where she played at Westlake High School and was the Defensive Player of the Year and made the all-region team. As a senior, she played in 89 sets and had 99 digs, nine assists, four kills and one ace.

Harmony Flagg (5’11”) is a freshman opposite hitter who is from Miramar, Florida and played at South Plantation High School. Flagg had 130 digs in 2024 along with 103 kills, 27 aces and 32 blocks.

Talia Taylor (5’7”) is a freshman opposite hitter/ defensive specialist from Cumming, Georgia where she played at West Forsyth High School. During her senior year, Taylor played in 21 sets and had 17 kills, four digs and four blocks.

Natalie Vaughn (5’7”) is a freshman setter who played at Pickerington High School in Pickerington, Ohio where won the Panther Award (for sportsmanship) as a junior and Coaches Award as a senior. Vaughn finished her senior year with 19 blocks, 18 digs and 14 kills in 24 sets.

Connelly Smith (6’0”) is a junior middle hitter/ outside hitter from Augusta, Georgia. Smith spent the past two years at USC Salkehatchie. As a freshman, smith made the NJCAA Division I All-Region 10 Second Team and during the 2024 season she made the NJCAA Division I All-Region 10 First Team as well as NCCAA Division I Player of the Year and was the USC-S’s team Most Valuable Player.

SSU will open the fall season with the annual Orange and Blue Scrimmage on September 1 and will start the regular with non-conference match at Middle Georgia State University on Sept. 2.

Link

Sports

Smash-and-grab burglar hits popular burger spot in Tempe

TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — A smash-and-grab at a popular burger joint in Tempe was caught on camera. Johnny’s Burgers and Dogs on South McClintock Drive, just north of Southern Avenue, is asking for your help in figuring out who robbed them. It happened just after midnight on Monday. In three different camera angles, you can […]

Published

9 minutes ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — A smash-and-grab at a popular burger joint in Tempe was caught on camera.

Johnny’s Burgers and Dogs on South McClintock Drive, just north of Southern Avenue, is asking for your help in figuring out who robbed them.

It happened just after midnight on Monday. In three different camera angles, you can see the person smashing their way through the bottom glass window, shuffling their body across the floor, zig-zagging around the tables before making their way to the front.

They swiped the cash register clean from the counter and ran off with it.

It was something Carlos Contreres said he was not prepared to see walking into his shift the next day. “When I went to open the door, I noticed the register was missing. It’s gut-wrenching,” Contreres said.

The burglar got away with a few hundred dollars. The owner, Yianni Loannaou, said he’s thankful his employees weren’t inside.

He said his store will recover, and he hopes whoever did this does too. “Especially someone who does this act, something is going through their life and I hope they get the help they need,” Loannaou said.

There’s been a string of commercial robberies across Phoenix.

According to the community crime map, there has been a chain of different reported business burglaries within the last three months.

Anyone with information is asked to call Tempe police at 480-350-8311.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Link

Sports

Back To Boulder: Ski Ball Registration Open

BOULDER—The 55th Annual University of Colorado Ski Ball is returning to Boulder and registration is now open! Get your tickets now for the best party in Boulder, set for Friday, October 10 at the brand new Limelight Hotel on the corner of Broadway and University adjacent to campus. Help us celebrate the ski team and […]

Published

25 minutes ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Help us celebrate the ski team and join us for dinner, dancing and an exclusive silent auction showcasing our outstanding partnerships across the ski community and around Boulder.

We will also be honoring Bruce Gamble on the Mountain of Honor and David Plati and the family of Fred Casotti as part of our Ski Champions initiative.

College athletics is at a crossroads, and the ski team needs your support more than ever to continue to compete for and win championships on and off the snow. Aside from purchasing tickets and attending, you can further your support in many ways, including becoming a table sponsor, donating an item for the silent auction, or donating additional money directly to the ski team.

The Limelight Hotel will soon become one of the go-to hotel options in Boulder, especially on game days. There are a limited number of rooms available as part of the Ski Ball block. Be sure after you register to secure your room and stay to watch the football team take on Iowa State the following day.

Link

Sports

Darling Assembles Demanding Schedule to Test Golden Knights in 2025

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team has reached the Elite Eight three of the last four years under long-time head coach Matt Darling. The Golden Knights have enjoyed incredible success under Darling, with 432 wins in his 18 seasons at the helm. Darling has never been shied away from playing a demanding schedule and […]

Published

26 minutes ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team has reached the Elite Eight three of the last four years under long-time head coach Matt Darling. The Golden Knights have enjoyed incredible success under Darling, with 432 wins in his 18 seasons at the helm.

Darling has never been shied away from playing a demanding schedule and that is certainly the case in 2025. He has announced Gannon’s 2025 schedule, and it is one of the most challenging in many years.

Despite losing four AVCA honorable mention All-Americans from last year’s squad that finished 26-8 and reached the Elite Eight, Darling’s squad will play a total of 13 matches against NCAA playoff teams from a year ago, including defending national champion Lynn. The Golden Knights will play teams from four different conferences in addition to their PSAC foes, including four conference champions.

“We will find challenges at every part of this year’s schedule, starting in the pre-conference portion of the schedule, where we have a match against the defending national champions and matches against two other sweet sixteen teams,” Darling pointed out. “Once we hit PSAC play, we expect to be in a real fight for the postseason. At least five or six PSAC West teams, I think, will have a legitimate chance to win it this year, so there will be a fight for the four playoff spots. Hopefully we’ll be up to these challenges.”

Gannon jumps right into the fire to start a brutal non-conference portion of the schedule the very first weekend, playing four matches in the New York City area in two days. The season gets underway with a duel against the 2024 national champions on Friday, September 5, with Gannon meeting Lynn at Adelphi in Garden City, NY. The Sunshine State Conference champions won the South Regional then went on to defeat Wingate, Bentley, and finally San Francisco State in the national championship match. The Fighting Knights enter the season riding a 12-match winning streak and were 33-3 a year ago.

Later that same day Gannon will face host Adelphi, another NCAA postseason squad. The Panthers reached the Northeast-10 semifinals before falling in the East Regional semifinals to finish at 23-11.

On Saturday, September 6 the Golden Knights move on to Rockville Centre, N.Y., the home of Molloy, to face the host Lions and Assumption. Molloy, members of the East Coast Conference, was 14-12 a year ago. The four-game ends against a second NE-10 team in Assumption (8-17).

The following weekend the Golden Knights will head to the Midwest for three matches in the Hampton Inn & Suites Grand Rapids Downtown Classic. On Friday, September 12 Gannon plays a pair of Great Midwest Athletic Conference squads. Play begins with a 10:00 a.m. match vs. Findlay. The Oilers were 24-9 a year ago, winning the G-MAC championship before falling to Ferris State in the Midwest Regional championship.

At 4:00 p.m. on Friday Gannon faces Tiffin (13-14). On Saturday, September 13 the Golden Knights meet host Davenport (10-19) at 3:00 p.m.

Gannon plays in its third tournament in three weeks on September 18-20, and this one could have huge regional implications. The Golden Knights will compete against four Mountain East Conference teams, the first two in the Wheeling Invitational and the second pair in the West Liberty Invitational.

In a rematch of last year’s Atlantic Regional championship match, Gannon plays at Wheeling on Thursday, September 18. The Cardinals finished as the MEC runner-up after losing to West Virginia State in the championship match. They advanced to the Atlantic Regional final before losing to Gannon in four games with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

On Friday, September 19 the Golden Knights return to Wheeling to face Fairmont State (18-14).

Gannon makes the short trip to West Liberty for a pair of matches on Saturday, September 20. The day gets underway at 1:00 p.m. against MEC champion West Virginia State. The Yellow Jackets finished at 24-10 last year, defeating Clarion in the opening round of the Atlantic Regional before falling to Gannon in three games in the semifinals.

Gannon concludes the three-day sojourn to West Virginia with a 6:00 p.m. match at West Liberty. The Hilltoppers were 15-15 a year ago, including a three-game sweep of the Golden Knights.

After 11 straight matches on the road and against non-PSAC competition to begin the season the Golden Knights finally meet a team from the PSAC. This one will be a non-conference affair as well, with 2024 Eastern Division regular season champion Shepherd visiting the Highmark Events Center on Friday, September 26 for Parents’ Night. The home opener will be the first time the Golden Knights have played at the Highmark Events Center since December 1, 2023.

The Rams finished at 24-6 last year, finishing as the PSAC runner-up and earning a berth in the Atlantic Regional. They would lose to Indiana (Pa.) in the quarterfinals.

The Shepherd match is the first of five straight contests at the Highmark Events Center. After hosting local rival Edinboro (14-13) in the Western Division opener on Sunday, September 28, Gannon’s next four matches are against teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

Gannon hosts PSAC champion Indiana (Pa.) on Friday, October 3 in a rematch of the PSAC Championship. The Crimson Hawks defeated Gannon in four games before reaching the Atlantic Regional semifinals and losing to Wheeling. IUP ended the year at 24-9.

A day later Pitt-Johnstown (19-10), another Atlantic Regional entrant, plays at Gannon. The Golden Knights will play their third NCAA Tournament team in five days with a non-conference match vs. Daemen on Tuesday, October 7. The Wildcats, members of the ECC, finished at 17-9 and played in the East Regional.

Gannon hits the highways for a pair of PSAC West contests on October 10 and 11. The Golden Knights renew their rivalry with Clarion (15-12) on Friday night, marking the fourth straight match against an NCAA Tournament squad. On Saturday Gannon plays at Slippery Rock (12-14).

The following weekend Gannon hosts California (Pa.) (3-20) on Friday, October 17 and Seton Hill on Saturday, October 18. The Griffins finished at 19-9 after losing to Gannon in the PSAC quarterfinals.

The Seton Hill match marks the end of the first half of divisional play. The second half begins with the second meeting against Edinboro on Friday, October 24. That’s followed by the final non-conference match of the season as Cedarville (14-11) visits the Highmark Events Center on Saturday, October 25. Cedarville is a member of the G-MAC.

The second half features four straight away matches before the regular season concludes with back-to-back home games. Darling’s squad ends the regular season with Senior Day festivities on Saturday, November 15 with Clarion providing the opposition.

The PSAC Tournament gets underway on Tuesday, November 18 with the quarterfinals. The Final Four is set for Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22 and will be hosted by the highest remaining Eastern Division seed.

Gannon will hope to secure a 16th straight NCAA Tournament berth, with the Atlantic Regional scheduled for December 4-6. The NCAA Elite Eight is set for December 11-13. For the second straight year the Elite Eight will be held in Sioux Falls, SD.

Link

Sports

EMCC softball standouts Karen and Gail Wisher selected to CSC Academic All-America At-Large Team

EMCC softball standouts Karen and Gail Wisher selected to CSC Academic All-America At-Large Team Published 9:52 am Wednesday, July 9, 2025 Karen Wisher readies herself for the pitch while at bat for the EMCC lions during the 2025 softball season. Submitted photo AUSTIN, Texas – Former East Mississippi Community College softball standouts Karen Wisher and […]

Published

30 minutes ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EMCC softball standouts Karen and Gail Wisher selected to CSC Academic All-America At-Large Team

Published 9:52 am Wednesday, July 9, 2025

: Karen Wisher readies herself for the pitch while at bat for the EMCC lions during the 2025 softball season. Submitted photo

AUSTIN, Texas – Former East Mississippi Community College softball standouts Karen Wisher and Gail Wisher have been named to the 2024-25 Academic All-America Women’s At-Large Team for the College Division, the College Sports Communicators announced Tuesday.

Karen was one of 13 first-team national selections, while Gail was one of seven second-team recipients. EMCC joined Jones College as the only two MACCC members to have multiple student-athletes selected among the organization’s 20 at-large national academic recipients. Representing the recognized women’s sports of badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cross country, curling, field hockey, flag football, golf, half marathon, ice hockey, rugby, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling, the College Division is comprised of student-athletes from two-year colleges, Canadian institutions and any other institution not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA.

EMCC’s Gail Wisher throw a pitch from the mound during the 2025 softball season. Submitted photo

Identical twin sisters out of Alma Bryant High School in Irvington, Alabama, the Wishers both majored in exercise science at EMCC and have committed to continue their academic and softball careers within the Magnolia State at Blue Mountain Christian University.

With a 3.77 cumulative grade point average during her EMCC career as a two-year starting centerfielder for head coach Mackenzie Byrd’s Lions, Karen Wisher batted .332 for her career with 36 extra-base hits (22 doubles, 10 home runs and 4 triples), 39 runs batted in and 68 runs scored. She also posted a career slugging percentage of .556 and was 16-for-17 in career stolen base attempts.

On the heels of being named to the 2024 All-MACCC Second Team as a freshman after leading EMCC in hitting (.338), home runs (7), hits (45), extra-base hits (20), doubles (12), total bases (80), slugging percentage (.602) and runs scored (39), Karen Wisher followed with an equally impressive sophomore season. The right-handed hitter who throws left-handed led the Lions in hitting (.333) and slugging percentage (.523) for the second straight season as a sophomore this past year.

While also having excelled in the classroom with a 3.87 cumulative GPA, Gail Wisher earned 2025 All-MACCC honorable mention recognition as a sophomore after becoming the first EMCC softball pitcher since 2014 to reach double-digit wins in a season with a 10-12 record and 3.39 earned run average. The right-hander finished seventh among conference leaders with the most strikeouts (137) thrown by a Lions pitcher in a single season since EMCC Sports Hall of Fame member Courtney Nunn reached the century mark during the 2009 and 2010 seasons with 156 and 217 strikeouts, respectively.

As a two-year starter either in the circle or primarily at shortstop when not pitching for the Lions, Gail Wisher batted .296 for her EMCC career, including 25 extra-base hits (18 doubles, 6 HRs and one triple), with 56 runs scored and 46 RBIs during her 83-game EMCC career.

Academically at East Mississippi, the Wisher twins both graduated with magna cum laude honors this past spring and were both four-time President’s List scholars. In addition to being two-time NJCAA Academic Award recipients and repeat Academic All-MACCC honorees, they were members of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society during their two years on the Scooba campus.

At the prep level, the Wishers were both two-time Class 7A All-County high school selections at Alma Bryant along with being co-recipients of the Hurricanes’ prestigious 2023 Frank Menton Athletic Award.

Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities and conferences on a wide local, regional, national and even international scope.

Link

Sports

How dream cricket is redefining sports gaming

As India rides the wave of its digital sports entertainment revolution, the lines between gameplay, storytelling and sport are blurring faster than ever before. Amid this transformation is Dream Cricket, a homegrown powerhouse quietly shaping the future of AAA-quality sports gaming. The team behind Dream Cricket isn’t just building a game, it’s building an experience […]

Published

44 minutes ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Born from a vision to create console-quality sports games for mobile, Dream Cricket has been crafting immersive, high-performance cricket gameplay with meticulous attention to detail. Every swing of the bat, ambient stadium chant and player animation is a result of cross-functional teams working in lockstep to deliver authenticity at scale. And it’s not just about cricket. It’s about creating a new dimension of fan engagement, one where users don’t just watch the game, they live it.

Dream Cricket aims to offer a deeply realistic cricket experience. In a country where cricket is more than just a sport, this is no small task. The development process goes far beyond basic match simulation. The team invests in deep gameplay systems that reflect cricket’s nuanced strategies, be it the physics of reverse swing, fielding dynamics, or batter temperament.

Gameplay design is anchored in authenticity, and that requires complex modelling of everything from player fatigue to pitch behaviour. The game is designed to reward real cricket knowledge and strategy, whether you’re timing a perfect cover drive or setting up an off-spin trap.

Visual storytelling is a key component of Dream Cricket’s design philosophy. The art direction focuses on realistic environmental details such as pitch textures, lighting effects, and stadium elements, to enhance immersion. Each game environment is carefully designed to reflect the atmosphere of real-world venues and contribute to an engaging player experience.

The goal isn’t just realism, it’s resonance. The team understands that cricket is played and consumed differently across geographies and Dream Cricket reflects this. From Wankhede to MCG, the stadiums are designed to be instantly recognisable and emotionally evocative for fans around the world.

Character modelling is equally intentional. Rather than going for photo-realism, Dream Cricket has developed a distinctive visual style that’s grounded in the reality of cricket but elevated through creative exaggeration to emphasise player movement and emotion. The result is an art style that’s unique, scalable and instantly immersive.

Sound design is another powerful tool for Dream Cricket. A lot of thought goes into making the game sound as real and as alive as possible. Stadium ambience, the cheer of a home crowd, the thud of the ball hitting the bat and more. It’s all layered to create an immersive soundscape that evolves with gameplay.

But sound in Dream Cricket goes beyond effect. It’s about interaction. Adaptive audio systems ensure that sound cues respond dynamically to in-game decisions, adding another layer of emotional feedback and user immersion.

Dream Cricket operates at the intersection of Indian sports culture and global gaming standards. While the game is deeply inspired by India’s relationship with cricket, the ambition is global. It is being built to compete with the best sports titles in the world, both in design sophistication and user experience.

This level of ambition is supported by a full-stack production ecosystem where engineers, designers, artists and audio specialists work in agile sprints, constantly refining the game based on player feedback, real-world data and evolving gameplay trends. The team leverages high-end proprietary tools, modular workflows and next-gen engines to build a product that feels premium on even mid-range devices.

In many ways, Dream Cricket represents the future of digital sports entertainment in India. As gaming and sports converge, fans are no longer content being passive viewers. They want to play, feel and influence the game. Dream Cricket is turning that desire into reality, one pixel, one animation, one perfectly timed shot at a time.

With the rise of esports, immersive fan engagement and mobile-first AAA gaming, India is not just consuming digital sports entertainment. It’s creating it. And Dream Cricket is at the forefront, turning India’s biggest passion into its next great gaming export.

Link